Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin both have a different

WE COULD give the long explanation to this one... but you’d be very old at the end of it. The summary goes like this: Fianna Fáil does not have confidence in Tony O’Brien and neither does Sinn Féin.

But each has a different kind of “no confidence” in the HSE boss – and the wind-up of it is that he is set fair to depart the job on his own terms in early July.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has not missed any chance over the past two weeks to call for the sacking of Tony O’Brien from his post as director general of the Health Service Executive.

More strangely, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Simon Coveney, Health Minister Simon Harris and other ministers have continually failed to express confidence in Mr O’Brien.

But they have also remained insistent that Mr O’Brien should stay in his post until the end of his contract and do all he can to remedy this sorry mess.

On Tuesday, we learned that three ministers at the Cabinet table felt it was time-to-go-time for Mr O’Brien.

The trio were Independent Katherine Zappone; Finian McGrath of the Independent Alliance and Michael Ring of Fine Gael.

But by yesterday it was clear that their aim was to let their dissent be known – not any serious effort to force Mr O’Brien out.

Which brings us back to that differentiation between Fianna Fáil’s no-confidence and that of Sinn Féin.

Populist

Ms McDonald is clearly in populist mode here as she links her calls to those of Vicky Phelan and others badly let down by the test system.

She has made it clear that the party will pursue a noconfidence motion against Mr O’Brien yet again next week.

Fianna Fáil health spokesman Stephen Donnelly says his party is most unlikely to support such a motion.

He fears it would condemn Mr O’Brien without an opportunity to defend his stewardship.

Mr Donnelly has instead proposed Mr O’Brien stand aside “without prejudice” – a sort of voluntary no-fault exit.

If this seems familiar, it is because we have been here quite recently.

In March 2017, when details of one million falsified driver tests emerged, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin called on then Garda commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan to “consider her position”.

But when the Opposition parties tabled a motion of no confidence in thencommissioner O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil did not support it.

Its justice spokesman Jim O’Callaghan excelled himself in explaining that it was wrong of any party to target any individual for removal from office. It would create a lamentable precedent, Mr O’Callaghan argued.

So, these differing shades of “no confidence” mean Mr O’Brien will see out the tail end of his seven-year term.

“I respectfully decline your invitation to resign,” he told the Health Committee yesterday.

Any wonder the man himself could gently but firmly refuse calls on him to resign.

Mr Donnelly has proposed Mr O’Brien stand aside ‘without prejudice’ – a sort of voluntary no-fault exit